Up front, in all honesty, I cannot wear Shalimar. The traditional one, anyway. I have been gifted bottles of it. I've been trying it on since I was a child. The scent to me is of my grandmother.....this is not to say that it is an 'old lady scent'....I really don't believe in such a thing. But the lush backdrop of vanilla and tonka and oppoponax was always overwhelming to me and became a distraction rather than an addition to any situation. I don't shy away from Guerlain fragrances....I love Shalimar, from a distance, but just couldn't find a way to wear it.
Over the years I've felt like I'm missing out somewhere.
I've tried other Shalimar flankers, and found that they make Shalimar more tolerable to me. I don't know if it's the ingredients used, but all of the flankers are also just so powerful on my skin! I finally decided to try Shalimar: Eau Legere and I'm truly glad I did. It holds the same intense lushness as Shalimar, but the composition is kept in check and somehow brighter with a lovely lemon sorbet-like top note that never fades but becomes a sophisticated lemon bar which lingers for quite awhile. Soon, however, the lemon bar gets taken over by a luscious, slightly smoky rich vanilla, which remains creamy. My biggest issues with most vanillas are that they smell rather 'thin'....Guerlain has always managed to stay away from that issue. It may be the tonka that I am experiencing but if it is, is has a truly rich quality whereas usually I find tonka to scream TONKA!.
Though this scent is becoming rather difficult to find, I recommend that those who have a push/pull relationship with Shalimar to try this one. It truly is worth the money and I'm sure I will be loving the 2 bottles that I have since purchased.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
Oriza LeGrand Jardins D'Armide
Notes from Fragrantica.
Top: Rose, orris, powdery notes, orange blossom; Mid: Iris, violet, carnation, wisteria; Base: Honey, almond, tonka bean, musk
You must like sweet powder scents to like this fragrance.
The minute I applied it to my skin I got ROSE, powder, orris, and honey. It's sweet, almost like you could chew it. It has a lovely vintage feel, but not it the overly old fashioned sense....it has the vintage feel of a beautiful fabric, softened and worn with time. The rose and the honey put me in mind of pink velvet.....you want to touch it and the very femininity of it is what makes it so appealing.
The rose backs off, just a little bit, to allow some of the other florals to peek through. I get a touch of the spice of the carnation, a bit of orange blossom, a tiptoe of violet, but the powder remains strong.
After about 30 minutes of me, the honey and almond come to the forefront and linger for hours.
What I am most struck by in this fragrance is how I find it so similar to scents like Loukhoum, but a better-constructed, fuller, blousier version. Fun for a day that needs some sweetness.
Top: Rose, orris, powdery notes, orange blossom; Mid: Iris, violet, carnation, wisteria; Base: Honey, almond, tonka bean, musk
You must like sweet powder scents to like this fragrance.
The minute I applied it to my skin I got ROSE, powder, orris, and honey. It's sweet, almost like you could chew it. It has a lovely vintage feel, but not it the overly old fashioned sense....it has the vintage feel of a beautiful fabric, softened and worn with time. The rose and the honey put me in mind of pink velvet.....you want to touch it and the very femininity of it is what makes it so appealing.
The rose backs off, just a little bit, to allow some of the other florals to peek through. I get a touch of the spice of the carnation, a bit of orange blossom, a tiptoe of violet, but the powder remains strong.
After about 30 minutes of me, the honey and almond come to the forefront and linger for hours.
What I am most struck by in this fragrance is how I find it so similar to scents like Loukhoum, but a better-constructed, fuller, blousier version. Fun for a day that needs some sweetness.
Ormonde Jayne Four Corners- Tsarina
Tsarina is quite a name. For me, it invokes decadence and luxury, heavy velvet and gold....and perhaps a touch of the austere with a bite of frost.
Tsarina's notes include mandarin, bergamot, coriander, cassis, hedione, freesia, jasmine sambac, iris, suede, sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla bean base, labdanum, musk.
I've come to expect Ormonde Fragrances to have a jumble of notes. This is not to say that they are not done well......every Ormonde Jayne I've ever tried (and I think I've tried most) have been perfectly balanced and have brought me through a meandering journey of a clear top, heart, and base. Tsarina is no exception.
The opening is an immediate pop of citrus with a warming touch of coriander. I could swear there is a touch of fennel or anise in here as well, which allows the citrus to gradually melt into the florals. Interestingly enough, the freesia is apparent, along with the hedione, which keep the whole composition afloat, giving it an airy feel and lightness. It's juxtaposed during the development into the final stages, where the amber and musk give the fragrance some warmth on the skin.
This fragrance sounded as if I would find it extremely overwhelming, but true to OJ form it remained light while not losing any of the richness I would expect from a perfume named Tsarina. I don't think I need a full bottle of this, but the experience was fun and I would definitely go through a decant.
Tsarina's notes include mandarin, bergamot, coriander, cassis, hedione, freesia, jasmine sambac, iris, suede, sandalwood, cedarwood, vanilla bean base, labdanum, musk.
I've come to expect Ormonde Fragrances to have a jumble of notes. This is not to say that they are not done well......every Ormonde Jayne I've ever tried (and I think I've tried most) have been perfectly balanced and have brought me through a meandering journey of a clear top, heart, and base. Tsarina is no exception.
The opening is an immediate pop of citrus with a warming touch of coriander. I could swear there is a touch of fennel or anise in here as well, which allows the citrus to gradually melt into the florals. Interestingly enough, the freesia is apparent, along with the hedione, which keep the whole composition afloat, giving it an airy feel and lightness. It's juxtaposed during the development into the final stages, where the amber and musk give the fragrance some warmth on the skin.
This fragrance sounded as if I would find it extremely overwhelming, but true to OJ form it remained light while not losing any of the richness I would expect from a perfume named Tsarina. I don't think I need a full bottle of this, but the experience was fun and I would definitely go through a decant.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Ormonde Jayne Four Corners Qi - Green Tea appreciation
Ormonde Jayne is a house that I am finally starting to appreciate. This was the first summer that I was able to appreciate Sampaquita, and got my hands on a bottle of Frangipani Parfum. The latter was a transformative experience. My newfound admiration for Ormonde Jayne coupled with my recent desire for good quality green tea perfumes that don't smell like lemonade let to my curiosity about Qi. I recently purchased a bottle of Guerlain's Tokyo, which, though it doesn't seem to get much recognition other than an occasional 'meh', leads me to believe that any fragrance with green tea is typically immediately viewed with suspicion after the great Green Tea Market Saturation of 2000-2010.
When I brew a cup of green tea at home, I am always fascinated by the scent. Green tea, in its basic form, is green, somewhat mossy, dry, woody, and slightly toast-scented. It's the addition of jasmine, lemon or mint that skews the scent, and most perfumers have played on that theme. What I love about Qi (and, by extension, Tokyo) is that it plays with the green tea scent. Granted, it does open with that lemony blast that most green tea scents have, but it's immediately made more interesting by the sweetness of freesia and the (to me) jarring vibration of violet. It's enough to make me hold out to see if Qi is more that just another citrus green tea.
About 10 minutes in, I start getting more fascinated. The scent becomes a light, citrus tinged velvety floral. Osmanthus adds some energy to the violet and it's all smoothed out by rose. The green tea is now that green tea that I recognize from my cup. It's hovering in the background and for the first time I feel like it's a grounding, solid base. Very wearable, and with strength that I usually find lacking, again, in a green tea fragrance.
The dry down is where I am truly impressed by this fragrance, and what I tend to see in most Ormonde Jaynes......the scent does a complete turnaround. What has started bright has become very filtered, like a forest right when the sun is starting to go down. The shadows become deeper, but the light is still apparent. Myrrh starts peeking its head out, and there is moss! Lovely, deep dark green moss. At this point, I am reminded strongly of Les Exclusifs Sycomore without the vetiver. The scent becomes smoky and lingers for hours on my skin.
I like this because it conjures up images of the Far East as a place where simplicity is presented, but there are many complex, stratified layers beneath the surface that must be discovered to be appreciated. Definitely one that I will keep around, with my lovely Tokyo, as my favorite green tea fragrances.
When I brew a cup of green tea at home, I am always fascinated by the scent. Green tea, in its basic form, is green, somewhat mossy, dry, woody, and slightly toast-scented. It's the addition of jasmine, lemon or mint that skews the scent, and most perfumers have played on that theme. What I love about Qi (and, by extension, Tokyo) is that it plays with the green tea scent. Granted, it does open with that lemony blast that most green tea scents have, but it's immediately made more interesting by the sweetness of freesia and the (to me) jarring vibration of violet. It's enough to make me hold out to see if Qi is more that just another citrus green tea.
About 10 minutes in, I start getting more fascinated. The scent becomes a light, citrus tinged velvety floral. Osmanthus adds some energy to the violet and it's all smoothed out by rose. The green tea is now that green tea that I recognize from my cup. It's hovering in the background and for the first time I feel like it's a grounding, solid base. Very wearable, and with strength that I usually find lacking, again, in a green tea fragrance.
The dry down is where I am truly impressed by this fragrance, and what I tend to see in most Ormonde Jaynes......the scent does a complete turnaround. What has started bright has become very filtered, like a forest right when the sun is starting to go down. The shadows become deeper, but the light is still apparent. Myrrh starts peeking its head out, and there is moss! Lovely, deep dark green moss. At this point, I am reminded strongly of Les Exclusifs Sycomore without the vetiver. The scent becomes smoky and lingers for hours on my skin.
I like this because it conjures up images of the Far East as a place where simplicity is presented, but there are many complex, stratified layers beneath the surface that must be discovered to be appreciated. Definitely one that I will keep around, with my lovely Tokyo, as my favorite green tea fragrances.
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